A double champion could be crowned this April at UFC 236 according to Chris Taylor of BJPenn.com as UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway faces #1 Tony Ferguson for the vacant UFC Interim Lightweight Title.
Holloway (20-3-0) is the current UFC Featherweight Champion and has defended the belt twice since unifying the interim title against then UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo at UFC 212. Holloway will also enter the bout on the strength of a thirteen fight winning streak and he hasn’t suffered a defeat in over five years. Holloway hasn’t gone the distance since becoming featherweight champion and it has been nearly three years since the fighter went to the judges scorecards.
Ferguson (24-3-0) is a former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion, defeating Kevin Lee to win the gold at UFC 216. Ferguson would be stripped of the title after UFC 223, which is when Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Al Iaquinta by decision to win the UFC Lightweight Title. Ferguson was stripped of the interim title after an injury knocked him off of the UFC 223 card, which was the latest in a long line of injuries that kept a Ferguson/Nurmagomedov bout from actually happening.
Dustin Poirier and Al Iaquinta would take to Twitter to vent their frustrations about the interim title fight:
These guys should just release me.
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) February 20, 2019
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— A1 Iaquinta-- (@ALIAQUINTA) February 20, 2019
Release me too
— A1 Iaquinta-- (@ALIAQUINTA) February 20, 2019
Fuck this shot it’s not even a sport anymore
— A1 Iaquinta-- (@ALIAQUINTA) February 20, 2019
I’ll be on Georges undercard tomorrow
— A1 Iaquinta-- (@ALIAQUINTA) February 20, 2019
UFC 236 takes place on Saturday, April 13 from a location to be announced and with a main event to be announced. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
